VIDEOS: The Formula Season 1NPR Music digs deep with the launch of a new video series designed to canonize the producers behind classics, old and new, that unearth hip-hop's musical D.N.A.
Whether Just Blaze is tapping out sampled drums or utilizing live drummers in the studio, his ability to harness energy is what makes his beats so dynamic.
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Whether Just Blaze is tapping out sampled drums or utilizing live drummers in the studio, his ability to harness energy is what makes his beats so dynamic.
9th Wonder breaks down three beats he composed that all went into a single song from Kendrick Lamar's Pulitzer-winning album, "DAMN."
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Watch hip-hop producer 9th Wonder break down the three beats he composed that all went into a single song from Kendrick Lamar's Pulitzer-winning album, DAMN.
Spinning records backwards was once condemned as satanic. But when DJ Dahi reverses samples — or alters his voice — to produce hits for the likes of Pusha T, Kendrick Lamar or Childish Gambino, it's a ministry of texture and sound.
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When DJ Dahi reverses samples — or alters his voice — to produce hits for the likes of Pusha T, Kendrick Lamar or Childish Gambino, it's a ministry of texture and sound.
DJ Premier is a purist at heart. He picks samples based on feeling and the beats he creates from them are all about honoring that vibe. That lineage has played out from his parents record collection growing up in Houston to his own expansive discography over the last 30 years.
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DJ Premier is a purist at heart. Watch the producer unpack samples inspired by the feelings he got from his parents' record collection that led to classic beats for Gang Starr and Biggie.
Unlike most super producers, Salaam Remi doesn't have an identifiable sound he loans out to various acts. He's better known for mining a sound from each act he works with that, in turn, becomes their signature sound.
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Unlike most super producers, Salaam Remi doesn't have an identifiable sound of his own. He's better known for mining a sound from each act he works with that, in turn, becomes their signature sound.